


Common

by AutisticWriter



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fills [5]
Category: The Fast Show
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coming Out, Disability, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship, Gay Male Character, Multi, One Shot, Paralysis, Physical Disability, Pre-Relationship, Quadriplegia, Swearing, Tourette's Syndrome, Tumblr Prompt, Wheelchairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 14:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8331280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: Clive wasn't very sociable before the accident, so now the last thing he wants to do is go to a party. But, when he does go, he meets Bob's friend Jed, and finds they both have a lot in common.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt from Tumblr:  
> Imagine that Person A of your OTP is a quadriplegic, having become paralyzed from the neck down in an accident a year ago. They’ve mostly adjusted to their life post-injury, but are still very shy and a bit hesitant about socializing and meeting new people. A mutual friend (or Person C in an OT3) convinces them to come to a party, where they meet Person B for the first time. Both A and B are a bit flustered, and B greets A by immediately holding out their hand for a handshake. It takes a few seconds of awkward silence and Person A giving Person B the fish-eye before it dawns on B that A can’t move their arms to return the handshake. Person B turns bright red and starts apologizing profusely, and Person A can’t help but laugh. A assures B that it’s okay, and with the awkwardness broken, they start to talk and realize how much they have in common.

Even though he agreed to it a few days ago, Clive wasn’t sure that going to this party was a good idea. It was all Bob’s idea; his oldest friend had decided that Clive going to a party was a good way for him to meet new people. Clive wasn’t so sure. He didn’t even know if he wanted to meet new people.

Clive had never been the most outgoing person, having always preferred to read a book rather than play football when he was younger, but what little self confidence he used to have had disappeared after the accident. Now he was shy, and only left the house to go to the doctors. His only visitor was Bob; his few other friends abandoned him during the five months he spent in hospital.

Thirteen months ago, Clive had been in an accident. He didn’t remember much of it, apart from being flat on his back and staring up at the sky with blood oozing into his eyes, and wondering why his arms had gone so numb. He later found out that a car had smashed into his tractor, and he fell and hit his head, hard. The force of the fall broke his neck, and Clive ended up paralysed from the neck down. It was an awful experience, spending all that time in hospital, in pain, with only Bob visiting him, but things were better now – well, apart from the fact that he was very lonely.

He had to stop deliberating when there was a knock on the door. Sneezing, he watched as his carer, Anne, opened the door and let Bob into the house. His friend was red in the face, and coughed into one hand as he waved at Clive with the other.

“Good afternoon, Mr Tucker,” Bob said, strangely formal.

“Afternoon, Robert,” he said, grinning at him.

“Are you ready to go?” Bob asked, coughing violently.

“Not really,” he said, and he grimaced.

“Come on, Clive, it’ll be good for you,” Bob said between coughs.

Clive sighed. “Fine, I’ll go – but it’s your fault if this party turns out to be a load of crap.”

\---

Clive glanced around the room, wondering why he was here. He didn’t know any of these people. Most were standing around the living room in little groups, clearly discussing something with their friends. Clive saw several people glance at him; he was used to the stares he got, but they still annoyed him.

Clive and Bob settled in the corner of the room, and Bob sat on a chair beside Clive’s wheelchair. Clive let his head flop back against his headrest, and sighed.

“Are you all right?” Bob asked.

“I don’t know,” Clive said. “I just... I don’t know if I should be here.”

“You’ll be fine,” Bob reassured him, coughing.

Clive wasn’t so sure. He sighed again, and listened to the crappy music, wishing he could just go back home.

Bob suddenly stood up, and waved in the direction of the door. A man was entering the room, and he waved back. He was dressed in a similar manner to Bob, with his trousers tucked into his boots and wild, curly hair poking out from under his hat. He made his way over to Bob and Clive, grinning.

“Hello, Bob,” he said, shaking Bob’s hand.

“Hello, Jed,” Bob said, coughing. “Good to see you. Jed, I’d like you to meet Clive Tucker.”

Jed smiled, and, to Clive’s horror, held out his hand for Clive to shake. Bob’s eyes widened as he looked between the two of them, but he didn’t say anything. Clive just stared into Jed’s eyes, and waited for Jed to work it out.

When Jed finally got it, he took his hand away, and stared at him, his face flushing. He wrung his hands together, and Clive watched his fingers spasm.

“Bloody hell, I’m so sorry ARSE!” Jed babbled, before suddenly blurting out the swearword. His head jerked to the side as he did so, his fingers continuing to spasm.

Jed glanced down at Clive, looking more embarrassed than ever. Bob put his hand on Jed’s shoulder.

“You can calm down, Jed,” he said, squeezing his shoulder.

Jed blurted ‘ARSE!’ again. “But, but I’ve offended your friend.”

Clive smiled. “No, you haven’t.”

Admittedly, it was rather embarrassing, but this wasn’t the first time this had happened, and Jed didn’t do it deliberately.

“It’s not your fault,” Clive said. “I should’ve said something. It doesn’t matter, really.”

Jed smiled. “Thank you, Clive. It’s nice to ARSE! meet you.”

His face was still red, and Clive was staring to find his flushed appearance amusing. He bit back a laugh, and looked up at Jed, who smiled bashfully.

“In case you’re ARSE! wondering,” Jed said, his hand spasming. “I’ve got Tourette’s Syndrome.”

“What’s that, exactly?” Clive asked, a bit confused. He had vaguely heard of that term, but didn’t know what it meant.

Luckily, Jed seemed more than happy to explain. “It’s a neurological ARSE! disorder. It makes me do these tics like the ‘arse’ thing and the twitchy hand. I can suppress them, but at some ARSE! point they’ll all burst out of me. The tics get worse when I’m ARSE! nervous. It’s quite annoying, and a lot of ARSE! people get annoyed with me too. Luckily, Bob doesn’t mind.”

As Clive thought about Tourette’s syndrome, Bob clapped Jed on the shoulder and coughed.

“Well, with my cough I’d be a right hypocrite to not mind, wouldn’t I?”

Jed chuckled. He turned to Clive, and he could see how worried Jed looked.

“Anyway,” he said, “so, Clive, do you, ARSE! really, ARSE! not, ARSE! mind?”

“Uh, I think I’ll go get us some drinks, fellows,” Bob said, coughing, and he crept off into the kitchen.

The fact Jed’s tics were getting so much worse surely meant he was getting horribly nervous, and Clive didn’t like to see him getting so worried.

Clive looked at Jed, and smiled. “Of course I don’t mind, Jed.”

“BOLLOCKS!” Jed said, much louder than before, and several people gave him glares. “Sorry, I just – why are you ARSE! laughing?”

Jed stared as Clive was overwhelmed with a desire to laugh, and started chuckling. Soon he was spluttering, grinning delightedly at the man stood in front of him.

“Because you’re funny,” Clive spluttered.

“Really?” Jed said, looking a bit doubtful.

Once Clive had (mostly) gotten over his laughing fit, he fixed Jed with a serious look.

“But, seriously, Jed. I just thought you were funny because your face went so red earlier, and I think your tics are funny.”

“Really?” Jed repeated. His hand spasmed, and, out of nerves, presumably, he cried, “BOLLOCKS!”

“Yes.”

“You don’t find them... embarrassing? ARSE!”

Clive shook his head. “No, really. It’s great. Really.”

“Thanks,” Jed said, beaming delightedly. “That makes a ARSE! change.”

Bob came back over carrying three cans of lemonade (the hosts were apparently teetotallers, so there was no alcohol at this rather dismal party), and a glass.

“Here you are, chaps,” Bob said, coughing.

Clive started to feel anxious, not really wanting Jed to see Bob help him drink (Bob was helping him out as it was his carer’s night off).

“Cheers,” Jed said, taking a can from Bob (and holding it in the hand that didn’t tic, Clive noticed).

As Jed watched on, clearly rather puzzled, Bob got a straw out of Clive’s wheelchair bag, and poured the lemonade into the glass. He then held the straw and glass up to Clive’s mouth, and let him drink. Clive felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as he drank the lemonade, wishing Jed wasn’t watching. He was used to most things since the accident, but he hated it when he was made to look helpless in front of anyone but his carer and Bob.

Once he had finished as much as he could, Bob took the glass away and dried his lips and chin. Clive went even redder. Jed was still staring at him.

“You don’t have to be ARSE! embarrassed, Clive,” Jed said softly.

“Thanks,” Clive said, and he smiled, amazed that he had met someone so _nice_.

\---

A couple of hours later, Clive realised that he had no idea where both Bob and Jed where. And, as he was desperate for a drink, that wasn’t terribly helpful. He hated being alone; it made him feel so vulnerable.

“Robert?” Clive called, but Bob seemed to have left the room, because he couldn’t see him, and didn’t get a reply. “Bob!”

“Clive?” He heard Jed say; he heard footsteps, and then Jed appeared in front of him. “Are you ARSE! all right?”

“Where’s Bob?”

“He’s in the loo. Do you need anything?” Jed asked, his hand ticking.

Clive broke eye contact. “I was going to ask Bob if I could have a drink, but I’ll just wait.”

Jed sat down beside him. “I can... ARSE!... I can help if you want.”

Clive looked at him. “Really?”

“If you want, ARSE!” Jed said, his hand going badly. “If you want me to.”

“You don’t mind?”

Jed shook his head. “No, of course I ARSE! don’t.”

Clive smiled. “Well, then, if you want to, then, yeah, you can.”

Jed smiled back, and picked up the half full glass off of the sideboard next to them. Obviously remembering what Bob had done, he held the glass in front of Clive’s face and put the straw into his mouth. Clive had a drink, and, when he nodded, Jed took the glass away. Clive saw his hand tic as he put the glass down.

“Thank you,” he said, watching Jed smile nervously.

“Did I ARSE! do it right?” He asked, his hand ticking badly.

“Yes, really, you did.”

Jed grinned properly. “That’s great.”

They both settled into silence, only punctuated by the occasional tic from Jed.

“So,” Clive said awkwardly, trying to think of something to talk about; he hated uncomfortable silences. “Are there any things you really like?”

Thankfully, Jed could obviously think of something to say, and started talking.

“I love the countryside,” he said, smiling fondly.

“Me too,” Clive said. “You know, I used to be a farmer before...”

He trailed off, but Jed seemed to understand what he meant. He looked sad for a few seconds, his hand ticking, but then he smiled again.

“I grew up on a farm,” he said, and Clive was glad he didn’t ask him about the accident. “My father had a farm and I used to help him with the lambs and collect the eggs and all sorts. I loved it.”

Clive looked at Jed, amazed that he had spoken an entire sentence without ticking once. Maybe you got less tics if you were calm.

But then Jed’s face fell, and Clive saw his fingers spasm.

“What’s the matter?” Clive asked.

Jed shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing. I just ARSE! don’t like thinking about my father. He wasn’t very ARSE! nice to me after...” Jed paused, and took a deep breath, clearly anxious about what he was about to say next, his hand ticking again. “... after, after ARSE! I came out.”

Clive stared at him. “Came out... as gay?”

Jed blushed, but nodded his head. “Yeah. BOLLOCKS!”

“You don’t have to worry, you know,” he said, watching Jed tic. Clive’s own face went red as he said, “I’m gay too.”

Jed stared at him, his eyes widening. “Really? ARSE!”

“Yes, really.”

Jed grinned. “This is so weird. We ARSE! have so much in common. What do you like to watch on the telly?”

Clive smiled, still a bit shocked that Jed was gay. “I don’t really watch much on the telly, to be honest. I really liked _Harry Enfield and Chums_ when that was on a few years ago, but there’s nothing right now, really.”

Jed looked amazed. “Me too! I loved it. My favourite was Kevin the Teenager.”

Clive grinned. “And mine. What about films?”

“I’ve always loved old American cinema. I love most of it, but my favourite has always been—”

“Laurel and Hardy,” they said together.

Clive spluttered with laughter, and Jed joined in. They were so loud that several of the strangers at this party glared at them, but Clive didn’t care. It was so great to talk to someone who wasn’t just asking him about the accident, especially someone who was so much like him.

\---

When Bob finally reappeared, he looked delighted to see Clive and Jed laughing and quoting their favourite characters from _Harry Enfield and Chums_ (Jed was very impressed by Clive’s Kevin the Teenager).

“Are you two having fun?” He asked, coughing.

“Yes, we certainly are,” Jed said, grinning.

Clive smiled, and tried to stifle a yawn. But it was no use; he yawned loudly, suddenly aware of how tired he was. He hadn’t been out of the house for so long in ages, and he was bloody exhausted.

Bob obviously noticed this, because he said, “Should we get you home, Clive?”

He wanted to stay and talk to Jed, but he was just so tired. “Please.”

“Well, then,” Bob said, smiling at Jed as he coughed. “I guess we’ll see you around, Jed.”

“Yeah,” Jed said. Clive saw his hand spasm as he pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket. “Uh, Clive. ARSE! Would you ARSE! like my phone number? Then we can ARSE! organise to meet up again.”

Clive looked at him. He had gone red again.

“Yeah, of course,” he said. He had really enjoyed talking to Jed, and he was amazed that Jed wanted to see him again.

“BOLLOCKS! That’s great,” Jed grinned, and Bob put his number into Clive’s phone. “Really ARSE! great.”

Clive smiled. He hadn’t smiled so much in a few hours since before the accident. It almost felt like his life was back to the way it was before.

\---

In the car on the way home, Clive saw Bob looking at him in the rear view mirror.

“What is it, Bob?” He asked.

“I was just thinking,” Bob said, coughing. “I said you’d enjoy yourself, didn’t I?”

Clive sighed. “Yes, I know. Bob?” He said, something coming to him. “Did you know Jed’s gay?”

“Yes, I did,” Bob said, grinning.

“Do you think he likes me?”

“I think he fancies you,” Bob said, and he laughed until he started coughing instead.

“Really?” Clive said, feeling his face heat up.

“Yeah, totally,” Bob said, and Clive saw his reflection grinning. “Why? Do you fancy him too?”

Clive chuckled slightly. “I don’t think so. At least, not yet. But he’s nice. I liked talking to him, and I’d like to meet him again.”

“Well,” Bob said, coughing. “At least that’ll get you out of the house.”

Clive sighed, knowing Bob was right, and also thinking about how much he would like to see Jed again.


End file.
